Bridge of Spies Review

Well well, Oscar nominations are smelling and when it is for a Steven Spielberg movie, I won’t say it is guaranteed but Bridge of Spies the new movie directed by the director is almost there. Brilliant execution and direction, topclass screenplay complimented by an intense acting performance from Tom Hanks put this movie as a pure must watch one and one of the best from the director and also from the actor.

Spielberg is a master craftsman as a director and having proved it many times with most of his previous films he need not do that again. But each time he come up with a movie, he almost breaks the standards he has set. Bridge of Spies is ample testimony again displaying the caliber of the veteran director.

Tom Hanks is a lawyer named James Donovan (based on a real life character) based in Brooklyn. The film is set in the cold war era where CIA uses Donavan’s negotiating skills to release US Spies caught at many places by Russians. Though Donovan helped US in many negotiations which are shown as end title credits, the film focus primarily on a single negotiating mission of releasing a young US Air Force pilot Gary Powers. But its not a cakewalk task as there is much more drama and Donovan have to bring in all his negotiating skills to the table apart from certain compromising aspects for the US Govt which the film will show.

The film is a gripping thriller and a highly engaging one till the final scene. There are emotional aspects also come into limelight and Spielberg has been highly successful here in connecting each and every aspect with the audience, thanks to his execution skill and to the well sketched out screenplay.

Dialogues, the emotional bonding and relationship developed between the Russian spy and Donovan, relationship between Donovan and his family and finally the realization of the importance of the central protagonist fighting for commutation of death sentence for a spy by the public as well as his family have been portrayed in a manner that conveys it without any sort of complexity.

On the acting side, its brilliant show from the actor par excellence Tom Hanks. As the negotiator, James Donovan, Hanks is at his best and has staked his claims for the Academy Awards. Though Hanks is all over the Bridge of Spies, one cannot forget the part played by the supporting actors like Mark Rylance playing the Russian spy Rudolph Abel. We feel for the character of Abel once the end credits start rolling down. Amy Ryan has a small role to play as Donovan’s wife still it was a memorable one. Rest of the casting also were apt ones.

When it comes to war films, Spielberg is at his best and situation here is no different. When one give lot of praise to the director and the main actor, it would be unjust not to mention about the gripping screenplay. Editing is taut while cinematography was good.

Its the master craftsman at his best again and the movie has quality written all over. A pure must watch drama, the movie has the class of one of the best director and one of the top class actor to pull the audience to theaters. I am very much impressed and go with four and a half out of five for Bridge of Spies.